Wales' history is packed with peculiar customs and curious characters. Here you will discover alien landscapes, ancient druids and a Victorian ghost hunter. Find out why revellers would carry a decorated horse's skull on a pole door to door at Christmastime, how an eccentric inventor hoped to defeat Hitler with his futuristic ray gun, and why a cursed wall is protected by a global corporation for fear it might destroy a town. From the folklore surrounding the red dragon on the flag, to the evolution of the song 'Sosban Fach', this compendium of weird and wonderful facts will surprise and delight even the most knowledgeable resident or visitor.
This comprehensive survey of events, people and themes explores the interwoven culture, society, politics and economics of Britain at the start of the 21st century. Two hundred concise essays cover topics as diverse as pornography and the poll tax, the Blitz and New Labour.
The 2015 Rugby World Cup in England is set to be the biggest, brightest and most successful tournament to date, as the world's top teams compete for the coveted Webb Ellis Cup and inspire new participants and fans worldwide across 44 days and 48 matches. With over three million tickets set to be sold for the matches, the Rugby World Cup will be viewed in over 207 territories worldwide.However, for all the fanfare of the third biggest sporting event in the world (after the Olympics and FIFA World Cup), it is astonishing that, until now, there has been no single reference book in the marketplace that contains all the rugby internationals, in chronological order, played by the world's major rugby nations since the game's inception. Keith Young has spent six years compiling such a compendium to fill this gap in the market and has undertaken a colossal amount of research in the process.The Complete Rugby Union Compendium contains over 5,200 entries, organized in such a way that details of all matches can beeasily accessed by the reader. It is laid out in a visually engaging and informative format and will be invaluable to every dedicated rugby enthusiast.
A volume which provides a humorous look at the strange goings on in Welsh rugby on and off the field, from the end of season tour to the Six Nations all-dayers. Second impression; first published in February 2007.
An A-Z of Hellraisers is the last word on inebriated misbehaviour, and the miscreant mob in this whopper of a book constitute the most amazing grouping to see print: from Alexander the Great, whose drunken revelries once ended with the destruction of an entire city; to W. C. Fields, who passed critical judgement on a brass band by urinating over them from a hotel balcony; Dylan Thomas, who drove a sports car onto Charlie Chaplin's private tennis court; to Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, suffocating on his own vomit after consuming forty measures of vodka - what a night out that was! This hilarious volume makes for an ideal bedside companion or pub reading fodder, as it scrutinises and salutes these glorious individuals, from Winston Churchill to Keith Moon, George Best to Ernest Hemingway, Wild Bill Hickok to Sam Peckinpah, Ozzy Osbourne to Errol Flynn. Just thank God we didn't have to live next door to any of them.
Get real about depression with The A-Z Guide to Good Mental Health by Jeremy Thomas and Tony Hughes. 'Everything you have always wanted to know about mental health but were afraid to ask' - Stephen Fry Are you plagued with these questions? -- HOW CAN I COPE WHEN LIFE THROWS ME OFF COURSE? HOW CAN I SEEK HELP? HOW CAN I SUPPORT A LOVED ONE? Our mental health is at times robust, at times incredibly vulnerable, and always essential to our very being. This informative and entertaining insider's guide is a rich and truthful exploration of mental health - informative but at the same time full of humour, candour and hope. The unique combination of dialogue between the authors - one a sufferer from manic depression (also known as bipolar disorder), the other his doctor - alongside a comprehensive A-Z section, provides a fascinating insight into the subject, and contains a wealth of information on prevention, treatments, and advice on how and where to get help. Topics include: the symptoms of illness, denial, relationships, self-esteem, suicide, creativity, alcoholism and addiction; handled with warmth and humanity throughout. Ultimately, Jeremy Thomas and Tony Hughes hope that The A-Z Guide to Good Mental Health will simply help a few people in the same boat. Jeremy Thomas is a novelist and has written screenplays for television and film. He lives in West London and Greece with his wife and black Labrador, Ecco. www.jeremythomas.co.uk Dr Tony Hughes is a General Practitioner. After postgraduate hospital work he went to Australia and held a post as senior house officer in psychiatry. He also lives in West London. www.drtonyhughes.co.uk
